Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems on USACE Projects

Abstract

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems offer a unique set of advantages and disadvantages to a designer, contractor, and building owner. With the procurement requirements for the Government, additional challenges are introduced by these systems, and the systems are currently not permitted for US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) projects due to requirements in mandatory design criteria. This research was performed to discover the major advantages and disadvantages of these systems, and to understand why they are not allowed on USACE projects. While performing interviews concerning these types of systems, two interesting case studies that demonstrate some of the disadvantages for these systems were discovered and will be detailed in this paper. Ultimately, it was discovered that VRF systems do not meet the public law requirement to provide open protocol control systems for U.S. Military projects. While the reasoning for this research had a particular focus on U.S. Military construction, much of the information presented will also be valuable to private entities considering these systems as well.